Information systems that communicate sensitive information may require high levels of security. For example, when peers communicate data over a transmission medium and/or communication network (e.g., wireless communication, exchanging Internet Protocol (IP) packets over the Internet, etc.) there may be a risk that a third party (e.g., an adversary) could intercept the communication and obtain access to the data included in the message. If the data being communicated is highly sensitive in nature, such a breach or exploit may comprise valuable information and/or resources.
To prevent unauthorized snooping of communications sent over various types of communication networks, cryptographic techniques may be utilized in order to encode the information in such a manner that it is difficult for parties other than the intended recipient to understand the information being communicated. For example, cryptography may be used to in order to ensure the confidentiality of transmissions, maintain data integrity, authenticate message senders and/or recipients, and/or provide non-repudiation services. Examples of cryptographic applications include computer passwords (e.g., authentication), encryption/decryption techniques, data integrity checks, etc.
As an example, military aircraft may communicate with other aircraft, ground personnel, and/or other equipment. In order to prevent an adversary from intercepting the communications—which may include sensitive data regarding mission details, personnel locations, etc.—the communications may be encrypted prior to being sent over-the-air (OTA). With the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), the size of some aircraft used to assist the warfighter have become relatively small (e.g., some as small as one kilogram or less). Further there are often power constraints that limit the power available to electronics on such aircraft. It can be difficult to use legacy encryption/decryption techniques under such size and power conditions.